Focus Question: Based on archaeological and historical evidence, why did the Roanoke colony disappear, while other colonies such as Jamestown survived?
Link to My Project:
Annotated Bibliography
Beers Quinn, David. Set Fair for Roanoke: Voyages and Colonies, 1584-1606. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: The University of North Carolina Press, 1985.
David Beers Quinn’s book Set Fair for Roanoke describes in great detail the disappearance of Roanoke as well as current archaeological work at the site. The chapters “Colony is Lost and Found?” and “An Archaeological Resurrection” were most helpful for researching Roanoke. Using pictures, archaeological evidence, and primary sources, he puts forth a solution to the mystery. Quinn believes that the colonists, having encountered severe drought, fled north to the Chesapeake region and remained with a “friendly tribe” of Indians until they were massacred by Powhatan around 1607. Quinn is professor emeritus of history at the University of Liverpool, and has written several other books about Roanoke. This resource is useful for specific research on Roanoke because it provides a viable theory as to how the Roanoke colony disappeared. It also contains the most archaeological information than any of the other sources, making it especially relevant. David Beers Quinn has written an excellent resource for any student interested in early colonial America.
Hume, Ivor Noel. The Virginia Adventure: Roanoke to James Towne, An Archaeological and Historical Odyssey. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1999
In chapter three, “Return to Roanoke”, of Ivor Noel Hume’s book The Virginia Adventure, Hume writes about the mysterious disappearance of the Roanoke colony. He explains this conundrum with the following theory. The colonists left the failing settlement and went north to the Chesapeake area, where the men were killed by Indians and the women and children were absorbed into local tribes. Hume is director of Williamsburg’s Department of Archaeology and was named an Officer of the British Empire in 1992. This book uses some of the Old English terms for places in North America, which makes the reading a bit more difficult, but still a good source of information. When researching Roanoke, Hume’s book is helpful because it not only describes Roanoke, but also Jamestown and how the two were related. None of the other sources used in this research included specific information about Jamestown and Roanoke in the same detail as The Virginia Adventure.
Kupperman, Karren Ordahl. Roanoke: The Abandoned Colony. 2 ed. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2007.
Miller, Lee. Roanoke: Solving the Mystery of the Lost Colony. New York: Arcade Publishing, 2000.
An exciting narrative twist to an old mystery, this book is engaging and factual. Lee Miller tells the story of Roanoke through the perspectives of Sir Walter Raleigh, John White, and other colonists. She explains how White knew the colony was doomed to failure and returned to England for supplies, finding the colony abandoned upon his return three years later. Miller implies that the tragedy of Roanoke began across the ocean within Queen Elizabeth’s own royal circle, where some men may have had a reason to see Sir Walter Raleigh fail. This source is quite relevant to Roanoke research, as information about the people involved is essential. This book reads like a novel, but gives the reader the same, if not better, information as any history textbook. Miller has a master’s degree in anthropology from Johns Hopkins University, as well as having served as a consultant for many Indian tribes and U.S. federal and state agencies, including the Library of Congress.
How did the Roanoke colony disappear? Several theories are presented in this website. From colonists joining Indian tribes to Spanish kidnappings, this site covers many theories and provides evidence for the reader to decide for themselves what really happened. The author of this site doesn’t seem biased in any way; each of the theories have fairly even amounts of evidence, both in support of the theory and in opposition of it. The mystery of Roanoke remains unsolved to this day, so any research involving the colony is likely to be based on theories. This site makes viewing each of the theories and their evidence simple, very helpful when researching. There are also links at the bottom of the page to more detailed resources for each theory. Unfortunately, the information for each of the theories is not really specific, but it is accurate enough for broad research. This site is a great introduction to the story of the Roanoke colony.
This website provides a unique piece of evidence in the Roanoke mystery that was overlooked previously, the trees at the Roanoke site. Scientists who examined the growth rings in the barks of trees found evidence of severe drought around the time when both Roanoke and Jamestown were founded. Although the mystery of the disappearance of Roanoke remains a mystery, historians can be certain that both Roanoke and Jamestown were founded at the worst possible times. The information in this website is given in a clear and concise format, backed up with scientific evidence and diagrams. The diagrams are particularly useful in explaining the formation of the rings and their measurements. Understanding the conditions under which the Roanoke colony disappeared, according to the website, is vital to solving the mystery. This website is sure to help students act as historians and archaeologists make their own conclusions about what happened at Roanoke.
White, John, and Jacques Le Moyne. The New World: The First Pictures of America. Stefan Lorant. New York: Duell, Sloan, and Pearce, 1946.
Note: This book is a modern edition of one published in the 17th or 18th century. It contains drawings and journal entries from John White and other colonists.
Focus Question: Based on archaeological and historical evidence, why did the Roanoke colony disappear, while other colonies such as Jamestown survived?
Link to My Project:
Annotated Bibliography
Beers Quinn, David. Set Fair for Roanoke: Voyages and Colonies, 1584-1606. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: The University of North Carolina Press, 1985.
David Beers Quinn’s book Set Fair for Roanoke describes in great detail the disappearance of Roanoke as well as current archaeological work at the site. The chapters “Colony is Lost and Found?” and “An Archaeological Resurrection” were most helpful for researching Roanoke. Using pictures, archaeological evidence, and primary sources, he puts forth a solution to the mystery. Quinn believes that the colonists, having encountered severe drought, fled north to the Chesapeake region and remained with a “friendly tribe” of Indians until they were massacred by Powhatan around 1607. Quinn is professor emeritus of history at the University of Liverpool, and has written several other books about Roanoke. This resource is useful for specific research on Roanoke because it provides a viable theory as to how the Roanoke colony disappeared. It also contains the most archaeological information than any of the other sources, making it especially relevant. David Beers Quinn has written an excellent resource for any student interested in early colonial America.
Hume, Ivor Noel. The Virginia Adventure: Roanoke to James Towne,
An Archaeological and Historical Odyssey. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1999
In chapter three, “Return to Roanoke”, of Ivor Noel Hume’s book The Virginia Adventure, Hume writes about the mysterious disappearance of the Roanoke colony. He explains this conundrum with the following theory. The colonists left the failing settlement and went north to the Chesapeake area, where the men were killed by Indians and the women and children were absorbed into local tribes. Hume is director of Williamsburg’s Department of Archaeology and was named an Officer of the British Empire in 1992. This book uses some of the Old English terms for places in North America, which makes the reading a bit more difficult, but still a good source of information. When researching Roanoke, Hume’s book is helpful because it not only describes Roanoke, but also Jamestown and how the two were related. None of the other sources used in this research included specific information about Jamestown and Roanoke in the same detail as The Virginia Adventure.
Kupperman, Karren Ordahl. Roanoke: The Abandoned Colony. 2 ed. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2007.
Miller, Lee. Roanoke: Solving the Mystery of the Lost Colony. New York: Arcade Publishing, 2000.
An exciting narrative twist to an old mystery, this book is engaging and factual. Lee Miller tells the story of Roanoke through the perspectives of Sir Walter Raleigh, John White, and other colonists. She explains how White knew the colony was doomed to failure and returned to England for supplies, finding the colony abandoned upon his return three years later. Miller implies that the tragedy of Roanoke began across the ocean within Queen Elizabeth’s own royal circle, where some men may have had a reason to see Sir Walter Raleigh fail. This source is quite relevant to Roanoke research, as information about the people involved is essential. This book reads like a novel, but gives the reader the same, if not better, information as any history textbook. Miller has a master’s degree in anthropology from Johns Hopkins University, as well as having served as a consultant for many Indian tribes and U.S. federal and state agencies, including the Library of Congress.
Oracle ThinkQuest Education Foundation. “Roanoke: A Mystery in History.” Mystery Theories, http://library.thinkquest.org/3826/page4.html?tqtime=1101 (accessed July 24, 2008)
How did the Roanoke colony disappear? Several theories are presented in this website. From colonists joining Indian tribes to Spanish kidnappings, this site covers many theories and provides evidence for the reader to decide for themselves what really happened. The author of this site doesn’t seem biased in any way; each of the theories have fairly even amounts of evidence, both in support of the theory and in opposition of it. The mystery of Roanoke remains unsolved to this day, so any research involving the colony is likely to be based on theories. This site makes viewing each of the theories and their evidence simple, very helpful when researching. There are also links at the bottom of the page to more detailed resources for each theory. Unfortunately, the information for each of the theories is not really specific, but it is accurate enough for broad research. This site is a great introduction to the story of the Roanoke colony.
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. “It’s All in the Watershed.” The Lost Colony of Roanoke Island, http://www.serc.si.edu/education/resources/watershed/stories/roanoke.jsp (accessed July 25, 2008)
This website provides a unique piece of evidence in the Roanoke mystery that was overlooked previously, the trees at the Roanoke site. Scientists who examined the growth rings in the barks of trees found evidence of severe drought around the time when both Roanoke and Jamestown were founded. Although the mystery of the disappearance of Roanoke remains a mystery, historians can be certain that both Roanoke and Jamestown were founded at the worst possible times. The information in this website is given in a clear and concise format, backed up with scientific evidence and diagrams. The diagrams are particularly useful in explaining the formation of the rings and their measurements. Understanding the conditions under which the Roanoke colony disappeared, according to the website, is vital to solving the mystery. This website is sure to help students act as historians and archaeologists make their own conclusions about what happened at Roanoke.
White, John, and Jacques Le Moyne. The New World: The First Pictures of America. Stefan Lorant. New York: Duell, Sloan, and Pearce, 1946.
Note: This book is a modern edition of one published in the 17th or 18th century. It contains drawings and journal entries from John White and other colonists.